Cigar-wrapping machine



Feb. E5, 1938., c. BUSTAMANTE l CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINE Filed' Sept. 28, 1935 e sheets-sheet 1 Feb. l, 1938. c. BUSTAMANTE CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 28, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. l5,

'1 C. BUSTAMANTE CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINE 6 Sheetsi-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 28, 1935 INVENTOR; (25er l/.sfamane' HISATTORNEYS Feb., M, E938,

'CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 28, .1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 c. BUSTAMANTE 2,103,439 x Feb- H93 c. BUSTAMANTE '$02429 i CIGAR WRAPPING' MACHINE Filed sept. 2s, 1935 i e sheets-sheets NVENTOR: [Jar Bdsamandej BY; @wwbwhm1m H l 5 ATTORN EY Feb. l5, E938.

C. BUSTAMANTE CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 28, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 6 H 5 ATTCRNEYS Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENTY OFFICE 2,108,429 CIGAR-WRAPPING MACHINE Cesar Bustamante, New York, N. Y. Application September 28, 1935, Serial No. 42,567

. 12 Claims.

This invention concerns putting up cigars for the market, and its chief object is to provide an automatic special-machine for individually designating and encasing the cigars and packing them 5 in boxes.

` A particular object of this invention is to prov-ide a small, inexpensive, cigar-boxing machine which will be particularly well adapted to the needs of the small-scale cigar manufacturer, yet

l which will be rugged, serviceable, accurate, and capable of producing the same kind and quality of wrapping as the high-speed, expensive machines used in largefactories where the daily output is sufficient to keep such a machine in 15 )fairly constant use.

The other'objects and advantages of the invention, las well as its construction and rule of action, will be made manifest as this description progresses.

20 The presently-preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that the invention is limited in its embodiments only by the scope of the sub-joined claims. In Said drawings, 25 Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, sectional front-elevation of the upper part of the machine, at the inception of its operation;

Fig. 2 lis a sectional right-end elevation of the machine, part being broken away;

Fig. -3 is favertical section, on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 isa-section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section o-n line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. `6 is a detail `section on line B-l of Fig. '1; Fig. l is adetail-section showing the wrapping means in the first stage of the. wrapping-operation;` i ,'Fig. *8 lis a similar view showing the next step; Fig. 9 is asimilar view showing the further step;

Fig. lOis a similar view showing the final step before boxing; Fig. 1l is a detailed view showing the action of the Wrapper-end crimping members;

Fig. -l2 is a detail-view showing the seating means'for'the ends of the wrapper; Fig. 13 is aV segregated detail of Fig. f6;

Fig. 14.is-a sectional enlarged detail on line a portion of 50 -IIl--Ill of Fig. 4;

Fig.Y 15 is a horizontal sectional detail on line 'I5-I5 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16'is a detailed, fragmentary, plan-view of the cellulose film lay-out;

Fig. 17 is a section, partly on line I'I-I'I of Fig. 3, vand Y rFig. 18 is a section on line IB-l of Fig. 17.

The machine is primarily intended for cigar- `manufacturers who, having a relatively small 60 .outputiandsmall,sp-ace, do not wish to. lay out (Cl. S13-2) the rather substantial sums of moneyV entailed inthe purchase and operation of the usual machines, which are large and cumbersome.

Hence the present machine is relatively small and compact, as well as light and inexpensive. It is driven by the application of power from a small electric motor, not shown, but rotating a pulley I shown at the left of Fig. 1, by means of suitable power-transmission devices, not shown; or, if desired, where electric power is not available, a handle can be provided on the shaft of pulley I, which can then be hand-operated to operate the power-shaft and all mechanism and moving parts driven thereby.

Power applied to the pulley I rotates a main'- drive shaft 2 which drives a counter-shaft 2' by means of a pinion 200 and a gear 2IlI. A cam 56 is rigidly xed on shaft 2', and coacts with a follower 3, on one end of an arm 4 pivoted on a shaft A5, the other end of the arm being pivoted to a Vvertical rack B to reciprocate same once per revolution of the cam. The rack 6 has teethil engaging with a pinion 8 of a shaft 9. A friction roller I9 is keyed to shaft 9, and a web of cellulose film II is threaded under and between various instrumentalities lying Vto the right inV Fig. 1 and to'be later described, and over the roller Ii)V and on to the left-wards, as seen in Fig. l. A driver-spur I2 is also keyed on shaft 9 and meshes with a drivenspur I3 on a shaft Ill mounted at either end in one end of two springrestrained bell-cranks I1 having vertical arms I6 by which roller l5 can be elevated to thread in the cellulose nlm.

As shown in Fig. 17,- the roller I9 on shaft 9 is provided with a one-Way clutch, comprising a member 5D adapted to'smoothly slide, in one direction, past stops 5I, but catching against them when the direction is reversed. Thus, the rod 6, on its up stroke catches against the stops 5i, and thus rotates the roller IEI, but on the down stroke of member 6, the member 5i] slides past stops 5I `and the roller lll is unaffected; hence, the'roller can be rotated in only that direction which pulls the cellulose to the left, towards the cigar. resting between members I9 as shown in Fig. 4.

The machine is adapted to receive completely rolled, but entirely bare, cigars, A, one at a time, on a predetermined, issued length of the cellulose -film when the shaft 2 has turned enough to `force same against a stop I8. As best seen in Fig. 16, the machine is provided with two vertically superimposed pairs of spaced rods I9, one atop, and one underneath, the cellulose to be wrapped around the cigars. A cigar band M0 is adapted to be placed transversely underneath the Acigar flat on top of the cellulose lm, and is located, guided, and positioned laterally by a stop fltII, and longitudinally of the cigar, by a stop 412, both stopsV being Amounted on a transverse rod or shaft 413. The shaft 413 is adapted to be rotated to raise the stops up out of the way of the descending pusher, etc. by means of a cam follower 413 on a shaft coacting with a cam 413 on the face of cam 20 and therefore rotating with it in timed sequence so as to raise the stops when the pusher descends.

The cigar is placed by hand on the cellulose film after the band is placed over the lm, as in Fig. 16, and the cigar, the band, and the cellulose iilm, are all wrapped together automatically, the cellulose film, when sealed, sufficiently holding the band in place. To this end a mechanism is provided including a cam 29 keyed t0 shaft 2', which cam by means of a follower 2|, operates both a pusher 22 and a knife 23, the knife reaching the Zone of operations before the pusher. The follower 2l is mounted on an arm 24 journaled directly on a shaft 25, the other arm 24, as shown in Fig. 13, being journaled on a sleeve 25 mounted on shaft 25 and operating independently thereof.

When a predetermined length of the film is fed out into the operating zone, the continuous rotation of shaft 2 causes knife 23 to shear oli the desired length of film and the pusher 22 descends and forces the cigar and cut-olf iilm downwardly together into the machine, the cigar on top of the film and the band lying between the cigar and the film underneath the cigar, and the ensuing wrapping action causes the band to completely encircle the cigar and the cellulose film to completely wrap both, and the ensuing sealing operations obviate the necessity for gumming or gluing the ends of the band together around the cigar, the same being held tightly in place by the tight cellulose sheath.

To carry out said wrapping operations, the cut iilm, cigar, etc. are forced downwardly into a throat 26, provided in a spring-clip holder 21. The holder 21 consists of two spring metal parts, both mounted on a basket-like, bracket member 30 and more solid pieces of metal 29 on the other side of the throat, all being slotted as shown in Fig. 1 to permit of entry of pivoted, cam-operated, folding ngers 28, 29 shown best in Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive. The basket member is mounted on a shaft 5.

The rotation of shaft 2 rotates a cam 51 thereon which operates a cam follower 58 mounted on the end of an arm 58', the arm 58 being mounted on the shaft 5. This action revolves the basket 38 also mounted on shaft 5 to the right in Fig. 8, past a cam HU. The fingers 29 are formed with a roller |09 thereon, and when the cam l I0 and roller contact, the fingers are moved to the left as shown in Fig. 8, and when the cam and roller move out of contact, the fingers 29 spring into the gaps 32. By this action they press the left upper edge 33 of the film down onto the cigar along the entire length of the cigar, and leave same projecting beyond the ends, as shown having done in Fig. 8, where they have finished and withdrawn. Fingers 28, on the member 28', released from stop III by said rotation, then fold the other edge, 34, down on the cigar in overlapping relationship over the iirst downfolded edge. A heating-iron, or electric heater, 35, is provided on an arm 36 mounted on a shaft 31 and is operated by a cam 460 (Fig. 4) on shaft 2', said cam cooperating with a follower 401', a rocker 49|, and a tappet 402 acting on an arm 433 mounted on a shaft 31. The iron 35 is preferably heated by an electric circuit, the wires of which are shown, and applies the heat and pres' sure which are necessary to make the said overlapping edges of the cellulose film adhere to each other throughout the length of the film.

In order to properly fold or wrap the ends of the cigar, an apertured-arm 6| is provided on the same shaft 31 as heating-iron 35, and is engaged by a member 65', and is adapted to have the ends of the cigar-casing brought against it by the continued, or extreme, rotation to the right of the basket 30, achieved by cam 51 at this juncture. The member 6| carries a spring-covered lug 62 on one side of its aperture, and a springheld finger 63 on the other. Member 63 is normally out of the path of the cigar in the swinging basket. Rotation of the shaft 2 at this time results in bringing basket 36 against the springheld lug 63, (as in Fig. 9) which lug is pushed downwardly, pushing the film inwardly, radially folding it as shown in Fig. 9. The lug when released, then snaps back to vertical position. The resultant effect is a radially and longitudinally flattened formation at the ends of the cigar, and at this juncture, one jaw, 64, of a. pair of crimpers mounted on a shaft 31 is brought into action by the movement of a cam 560 (Fig. 3), located on arm 4, against a roller i, which operates shaft 31, Fig. 10. This jaw 64 coacts with another jaw 65, mounted on a shaft 95, which shaft is operated by a roller 592 (Fig. 3) operated by the lower face of cam 580. The two jaws effectuate the crimping and folding shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11, respectively, seizing the folded ends and bending them upwardly and back against the body of the cigar, the cigar ending up with the wrapper in the condition shown in Fig. 12, where these crimped ends are being stuck.

The rotation of cam 51 pulls member 30 down to the right from the nearly upright position of Figs. 4 and '7 into the nearer horizontal position of Fig. 9, thus clearing the basket of supporter 3l, after the action of cam 50| has caused same to push and advance the longitudinally sealed cigar downwardly into the position shown by the lower cigar in Fig. 8.

A pusher 66 is provided on the same shaft as jaw 64 to advance the now completely folded, but not yet sealed, cigar onto the lower end of a ramp 61, filled with cigars as shown. When the next cigar after cigar B leaves the pusher 66, a spring-held detent, or stop, 68, is moved by the now leftwardly moving basket, down out of the way and the incoming newest cigar pushes the next to newest up against the third-to-newest, thus advancing the whole inclined train of cigars upwardly on the ramp 61 against the action of gravity. Just before this juncture, a cam on shaft 2', by means of a follower 69 on an arm 69', moves shaft 5 and basket 36 slightly farther to the right, in Fig. 10, and then way over to the left, to be in a position to receive another incoming cigar, in its top, in the springclip holder. The finger 29 is operated by roller 109 engaging against cam IIB at this juncture, opening same, and finger 28 is similarly operated by member l l i, due to the leftward movement of the basket.

Heating-irons Gl, 6l' are swivelled on arm 6i adjacent the crimped and folded ends of the cigars, so as to be able to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 12, and their inner ends are weighted with heavy material, as at 6l". The heaters are pressed inwardly against the ends of the cigar, as long as it is in position, by means of the weight, and are released by cams 903 mounted von the basket 30 and operated ,thereby as shown in Figs. .4 andy, one acting upwardly on the inner .endsof weights 61 as ,showt-,1in Fig "5. The heaters apply heat and pressure for a sufficient length of time to make the vcrimps and `,folds stick together to-fthe body of the cellulose wrapper, as shown in Fig. 12; A spring holder 904 is ,provided `to keep the freshly stuck edges ,of the cellulose wrapper from unfolding.

The last-mentioned step of applying heat and pressure to lthe crimped ends of the wrapper com.- pletes the wrapping process and the .cigar will be ,completely ,encased within an airtight, impervious, but ltransparent material. The encased cigar is forced against the lower side of .the lowermost cigar on a ramp B1 adjacent the bas,- ket Si). lThe ramp is provided at its upper end `with a loading platform l I3. The encased cigars are advanced upwardly on the ramp by forcing the last encased cigar against the lower end of the line of cigars. When a newly-encased .cigar is added to the line of cigars on the ramp, there is a forward, upward movement of the cigars thereon, resulting in the uppermost cigar on the ramp being urged onto the loading platform and into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14. After `a group :of cigars corresponding in number to the size of the box to be lled has accumulated on the platform H3, the group of cigars thereon is advanced to the right (Figs.

4 and 14) by means of a hand-operated pusher l I4, slidably mounted upon a rod l I5 and adapted to be .carried and supported by an arm projecting through the slot i25. The pusher H4 carries a scraper bar IIB for simultaneously engaging the rearmost end of the cigars as they are pushed along.

At the right-side of the platform 1s provided a short ramp 38 mounted on an extensible bar 39 having stops 40, provided with wing-nuts 4l to vary the width between the stops andV thus receive a variable number of cigars. The incoming, or to-be-top layer, pushes under the layer already resting on ramp 38 and forces this layer up against a stop 42.

The cigar box to be filled is frictionally-held, resting on a shelf d3, by having each end piece 44 entered between two leaf-springs 45, with the lid 46 hanging down. When the two layers have been pushed against the bottom of the boX, the stop 42 is raised and the box is removed and flipped into a horizontal position, whereupon the two layers of cigars fall into their usual horizontal, transverse position in the box, which is then ready for use.

Means are provided for legending, or printing, the wrappers in two colors. As seen in Fig. 1,l clean, imprinted, cellulose lm,at least wide enough to encompass up to the largest size cigar, and of the usual thickness, is fed into the rightend of the machine from a suitable supply roll, not shown. Referringto Fig. 2, the power shaft carries, near its right-end, a bell-crank 80 having an armi bearing a roller $2 coacting with a cam 93 on the same-shaft as the cams 56etc., an arm 83 bearing a roller coacting with an actuator-pawl 84 adapted to further drive a gear 85 to turn a puller-roller 86 for feeding a Vheattransfer printing pap-er 8T transverse theimachine underneath the cellulose lm at eachof two adjustable platenV heads, 300, 30|, asbest seen in Fig. 1. A third arm 88 of the bell-crank lever is engaged under a pin 89 on a rod 90 carrying an electric heater 9| under a printingdie 92 containing the desired legend. Thereby the ipk-transfer paper, traversed coordinately with the passage at right angles of the cellulose nlm, is halted when the die impacts it, the printing dies printing onecolor of the two color label on the film in location v3MB, theprinting operations being timed with the advance of the nlm through the machine, the other color being printed on the film in between the printings of the rst color, andV in a similar manner, at platen Sill.

The thus-printed cellulose film passes thence under an idler roller 93', and then enters and traverses the puller, or feed, mechanism shown best in Fig. 3, and thence to the cigar.

The machine has been described in conjunction with a cigar of the relative size shown, but means are provided for adapting the machine to operate upon cigars of any diameter or length likely to be encountered in present practice.

These means comprise, of course, the already described variable-position set screw i3 which can be slid `along the rods i9 to various positions, depending upon the various lengths of cigars to be operated upon; means for varying the spacing of the heaters 6l to accommodate cigars of varying lengths; and also a set screw arrangement 'S moving a movable block Sill closer to, or farther away from, the base block on which screw Silo is mounted, to thereby vary the transverse spacing of the cigar holding, film-folding, and crimping mechanisms already described, whereby to accommodate cigars of different thicknesses.V

In the following claims, by legending the artic1e",'I mean to include the printing, embossing; or otherwise labeling of the wrapper,V or

f other means of visually communicating a designation such as a trade-mark, advertisement, or the like, by applying same to the wrapper, in

addition to wrapping the band around the cigar.

I claim:

1. In a cigar wrapping machine, a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of rods spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, a stop adjustable longitudinally with respect to said rods to position a cigar on said wrapping material, means for wrapping said material around said cigar,

a pair of pivoted grippers for sealing the wrapper `around the cigar. Y

2. In a cigar wrapping machine, a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of rods spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, a stop adjustable longitudinally with vrespect to said rods to position a cigar on said wrapping material, means for wrappingsaid material around said cigar, including means forV pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods, and means for folding the side edges ofsaid wrapping material inwardly around the cigar, and a pair of pivoted grippers for sealing the ends of the wrapper.

3. In a cigar wrapping machine, a support for a` sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of rods spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of wrap-A ping material over said rods, means for positioning a cigar on said wrapping lmaterial, and means for wrapping saidl material around said cigar, including means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods, a movable support for receiving and supporting the cigar after it has been pushed downwardly between said rods, and means for folding the side edges of said wrapping material inwardly around the cigar while it is being supported by said movable support.

4. A cigar wrapping machine, a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of bars spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, means for positioning a cigar on said wrapping material, and means for wrapping said material around said cigar, including means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods, a pivoted member having a restricted passage therethrough for receiving the cigar after it has been pushed downwardly between said rods, a pivoted member for supporting the cigar in said restricted passage, and means for folding the side edges of the wrapping material inwardly about the cigar while it is supported in said restricted passage.

5. In a cigar wrapping machine a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of rods spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, a stop adjustable longitudinally with respect to said rods to position a cigar on said wrapping material, means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods, a pivoted member having a restricted passage for receiving the cigars after they have been pushed downwardly between said rods, means for supporting the cigars in said restricted passage, and means for folding the side edges of said wrapping material about the cigar while it is supported in said restricted passage.

6. In a cigar wrapping machine a support for a sheet of Wrapping material comprising a pair of rods spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, a stop adjustable longitudinally with respect to said rods to position a cigar on said wrapping material, means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods, a pivoted member having a restricted passage for receiving the cigars after they have been pushed downwardly between said rods, means for supporting the cigars in said restricted passage, and means for folding the side edges of said wrapping material about the cigar while it is supported in said restricted passage, and means for applying heat to the edges of the wrapping material to cause them to adhere together.

7. In a cigar wrapping machine a support for a sheet of Wrapping material comprising a pair of rods spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, a stop adjustable longitudinally with respect to said rods to position a cigar on said wrapping material, means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods, a pivoted member having a restricted passage for receiving the cigars after they have been pushed downwardly between said rods, means for supporting the cigars in said restricted passage, and means for folding the side edges of said wrapping material about the cigar while it is supported in said restricted passage, the operation of said pushing means, the means for supporting the cigars in said restricted passage, and the means for folding the side edges of the wrapper about the cigar being cam-controlled and operating inxsynchronism.

8. In a cigar wrapping machine a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of rods spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of Wrapping material over said rods, a stop adjustable longitudinally with respect to said rods to position a cigar on said wrapping material, means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods, a pivoted member having a restricted passage, one side of which is formed of resilient material, for receiving the cigars after they have been pushed downwardly between said rods, means for supporting the cigars in said restricted passage, and means for folding the side edges of said wrapping material about the cigar while it is supported in said restricted passage.

9. In a cigar-wrapping machine, a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of members spaced horizontally to receive a cigar between them, means for feeding a length of wrap-ping material over said members, a stop for accurately positioning a label on the length of wrapping material over said members, a stop adjustable horizontally with respect to said members for positioning a cigar on said length of wrapping material and the label thereon, and means for simultaneously wrapping said label and the wrapping material about a cigar thereon.

10. In a cigar-wrapping machine, a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of horizontally spaced rods, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, means for positioning a cigar while supported on said wrapping material and between said rods, and means for wrapping said material around said cigar, said wrapping means including means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods and means for folding the side edges of said wrapping material inwardly around the cigar.

1l. In a cigar-wrapping machine, a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of horizontally spaced rods, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, means for positioning a cigar while supported on said wrapping material and between said rods, and means for wrapping said material around said cigar, said Wrapping means including pivoted means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods and means for folding the side edges of said wrapping material inwardly around the cigar.

12. In a cigar-wrapping machine, a support for a sheet of wrapping material comprising a pair of horizontally spaced rods, means for feeding a length of wrapping material over said rods, means for positioning a cigar on said Wrapping material between said rods, means for wrapping said material around said cigar, including means for pushing said cigar downwardly between said rods and means for folding the side edges of said wrapping material inwardly about the cigar, a member having separate receiving and discharge openings for receiving the cigar after it has been pushed downwardly between said rods, means for supporting the cigar while in said member, and means for discharging the cigar through the discharge opening of said receiving member.

CESAR BUSTAMANTE. 

